Station-indicator



(NoMddeL) E. 0. WINTERS.

STATION INDICATOR.

No. 591150}. 'Paten'ted Oct. 5; 1897.

witnessj, Inventor.

Q. WM y 9W Attorney.

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min STATES PATENT trio...

STATION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming ,part of Letters Patent No. 591,150, dated October 5, 1897. Application filed November 3, 1896. $eri'al No. 610,929. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD O. WINTERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-1ndicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to anew andimproved means for indicating the names of streets or other matter on street-cars or the names of stationsor other matter on railway-trains; and it will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a section through the front of the holding-case on or about line a a, Fig. 2, the street-indicating or advertising band being detached from the lower roller and nearly all wound upon the upper roller. Fig. 2 represents a vertical cross-section on or about line b b, Fig. 1, the advertising or exhibiting belt being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 represents a detached enlarged side View of the operating-disk, showing the coiled spring and a section through the shaft upon which it turns. Fig. 4 is a top View of the arms and lever for operating the shaft upon whichthe disk turns. Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of a portion of one of the in dicating-band rollers, showing the frictiondisk and spring at the end thereof. Fig. 6 represents'a face view of the friction-disk. Fig. 7 represents an enlarged portion of the operating-handle in partial section.

Referring to the drawings for the details of the construction, the holding-case may be made of sheet metahbut wood or other suitable material may be used in its construction. It consists of the back portion 1, two side portions 2 and 2, with a partition 3 be-' tween them. At the front is a transparent opening covered, preferably, with glass (Shown in section in Fig. 2.) Between the side 2 and the partition 3 are mounted in suitable boxes two shafts 5 and 5, carrying the indicating-band rollers 6 and 6 the upper roller 6 being indicated by dotted lines. These rollers are rigidly secured to said shafts. At the front of the holding-case,above and below the rollers 6 and 6, are mounted in bearings, so as to turn easily, two rollers 7 and 7 the object of which is to enlarge the exposed face of the indicating-band. At the end of each roller 6 and 6 is located a friction-disk 8, a spiral spring 9 being interposed between the side 2 and the end of the roller to keep the same in a frictional contact therewith, the object being to hold the roller by the said frictionalcontact at any pointto which it may be moved. The disks 8 are prevented from rotating by means of the pins 10, which extend into holes adapted to receive them in the side 2 of the holding-case. (See Figs. 1, 5, and 6.) An indicating-belt 11 is securely fastened to the rollers 6 and 6, one end being secured to the roller 6 and the other end secured to the roller 6, so that when one roller is winding it up the other. roller is being unwound. On the indicating-belt is placed the names of the streets in their regular order at equal distances apart and also advertising matter, if desired. This indicating-belt is preferably made of cloth or other similar material. It may also be made of paperfor some purposes. At the end of each roller-shaft 5 and 5 is rigidly secured a gear-wheel12 and 12 both gear-Wheels being the same size, or larger or smaller, if desired. Centrally, or substantially so,between the shafts 5 and5 is mounted in boxes in the sides 2 and 2 of the supporting-case a shaft 13, carrying two arms 14 and14 rigidly secured to it or formed in one integral piece with it, the said arm 14: having rigidly secured to it a depending arm or lever 15, terminating in a handle 15%. The forward ends of the arms 14 and 14 are each provided with a box 16, in which is mounted a shaft 17 From the above construction it will be seen that a movement of the handle 15 backward and forward will raise and lower the shaft 17, the opening through the partition 3 being large enough to allow it to move. At or near the end of the shaft 17, next to the partition 3, is rigidly secured a gear-wheel 18, having teeth adapted to gear in with either of the wheels 12 or 12.

Alongside of the wheel 18 is mounted loosely on the shaft 17, so as to turn'easilythereon, an operating-disk 19, having a hollow or depression on one side, in which is secured by a screw 20 the outer end of a coilspring 21, the other end being secured byascrew 22 to the shaft 17. It is obvious from ICO the above construction that if the disk be turned in the direction of the arrow i, (see Fig. 3,) the shaft 17 being stationary, the

spring will be wound around or partly around the shaft 17, and that when released the spring will instantly bring the disk back to its normal position. The disk 19 is provided with a surrounding groove 23, (see Fig. 1,) and on the outside of the disk 19 is pivoted a pawl 24, kept to its normal position by means of a spring 25. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

Alongside of the outside face of the operating-disk and made large enough to cover the opening in which the coil-spring 21 is inclosed is a ratchet-wheel 26, having teeth with which the pawl 24 engages, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ratchetwheel 26 is rigidly secured to the shaft 17.

At the bottom of the supporting-case is a depending portion 27, having two perforations 28 and 28, and on the handle 15 is pivoted a small bar 29, having a .pin 30, adapted to pass easily into either of the perforations 28 or 28 as the handle 15" may be moved and secured. A small spiral (or other) spring 31 (see Figs. 1 and '7) keeps the pin 30 in engagement with the perforation in which it may be placed, so that the handlebar 15 may be moved either forward or back and held secure in either adjustment. The object of this construction is to provide a suitable means for moving the gear-wheel18 into or out of gear with either gear-Wheel 12 or 12. A chain or cord 32 is rigidly secured in the groove 23 on the disk 19, and from thence it extends upward and overa grooved pulley 33. From thence it passes out through the supporting-case to some suitable point in the car where the conductor can conveniently reach it to operate the device.

The operation of the device is as follows: When starting with the device, all that portion of the indicating-band 11 is wound up on either one or the other of the rollers 6 or 6-the upper roller, for instance-in which case the operating-wheel 18 should first be placed in gear with the wheel 12 by moving the arm 15 from the point 28 to the point 28 and then securing it, as hereinbefore set forth.

WVhen the cars are approaching a street the name of which is required to be indicated, the operator takes hold of the chain or cord 32 at any point in the car within convenient reach and pulls it sufficiently to turn the wheel 18 the required distance. This operation turns the operating-disk in the direction of the arrow J, and the pawl 24, being in engagement with the ratchet-wheel 26, which is rigidly secured to the shaft 17, causes the wheel 12, which is also rigidly secured to the shaft 17, to turn in the direction of the arrow L, (see Fig. 2,) thereby turning the roller 6" in the same direction and winding the indicating-belt around it sufficiently to draw enough of the indicating-band 11 down from the roller 6 to expose the desired name of the street. This operation is continued until the end of the line has been reached and all the streets have been indicated, each in its proper time. Before the return trip the operator adjusts the arm 15 back to the hole 28 and then secures it, as above mentioned. This operation brings the gear-wheel 18 into engagement with the gear-wheel l2 and reverses the operation or turns the roller 6 in the direction of the arrow 70, (see Fig. 2,) thereby winding the indicating-belt on the roller 6 and off from the roller 6, and by the same operations the streets are indicated in their proper order on the return trip. It will be noticed that every time the cord 32 is pulled to indicate a street and then released the coil-spring 21 in the operating-disk 19 will bring it back to its starting-point, thereby causing the pawl 24 to move backward over the required number of teeth in the ratchet-wheel 26 to allow the cord to move the indicating-belt sufficiently to'eXpose the name of a street every time the operator pulls the cord. The distance the cord can be moved is limited by a collar 34 and the parts 35 and 36, through which the cord can pass freely until the collar 34 comes in contact with either 35 or 36, and it will be noticed that the parts 35 and 36 may be placed a greater or less distance apart and thus give more or less movement to the cord 32, as may be required to give the proper adjustment.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a street-indicator, the combination with the indicating-belt its two front supporting-rollers 7 and 7 and its two receiving and operating rollers and their spur gear-wheels located one above the other, the upper end of the belt being secured to the top side of the upper roller and the lower end of the belt to the top side of the lower roller, of an intermediate gear wheel rigidly secured to its shaft, an operating-disk provided with a cord for operating it and loosely secured to the same shaft so as to turn therein, a spring for holding said disk in its normal position, a spring-actuated pawl pivoted to the side of the disk and a ratchet-wheel rigidly secured to the same shaft and adapted to engage with said pawl and means for moving the intermediate gear-wheel into or out of engagement with the upper and lower gear-wheel for the purposes described.

2. In a streetindicator, the combination with the supporting frame, and the indicatin g-belt rollers mounted therein, of a frictiondisk mounted on the shaft at the end of each roller, springs for keeping said dis-ks in frictional contact and means for locking the disks to the supporting-frame, and thereby preventing them from turning on or with the shafts, for the purposes described.

3. In a street-indicator, an indicator-belt carrying a series of street-names, its supporting-rollers and spur gear-wheels, located one above the other, in combination with an intermediate gear-wheel mounted rigidly on its shaft, an operating-disk provided with a cord IIO for operating it and mounted loosely on the same shaft alongside of said gear-Wheel so as to turn loosely on said shaft, a spring for moving said disk to its normal position when released from its operating-cord, a ratchet- Wheel rigidly secured to the shaft alongside of the operating-disk, a spring-actuated pawl pivoted to the operating-disk and in engagement with the ratchet wheel, and

means for moving the intermediate gear- 10 Wheel into or out of gear with the gear-Wheels 12 and 12, for the purposes described.

EDWARD O. WINTERS.

Witnesses:

JAMES SANGSTER, L, M. SPONG. 

